Improvement in explosive projectiles for ordnance



' J. JOHN ON. EXPLOSIVE PROJEOTIL FOR ORDNANGEk M L m My 6 n h d d m WN v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOB JOHNSON, O1 BRO QKLYY, NEV YORK.

Specification forming part of Lclicrs Patent No. 4l3,029. dated'Jime'T,

To all whom It may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOB J O'HNSON, 01" Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented, made, and applied to use acertainnew' and useful Improvement in Projectiles; and I'do'hereby declare thefollowing tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making part of this specification, wherein- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of my improved projectile, and Fig. 2 shows an end view of the screw-plug employed for closing the chargingorifice.

Cylindrical balls and shells with tapering ends have heretofore been employed, and the front end has been made with a central cavity and serrated-cutting-edge, and a rod has'been introduced at the front end of'a shell to be driven in by concussion against the object struck. This rod produces a detonation and causes the explosion of the contents of such projectile, as may be seen by reference to Letters Patent granted to me May 12, 1863.

The nature of my present invention consists in a screw-plug at the base of the ball in the charging-hole, which plug is provided with a cavity at its forward end, taking a percussion: cap upon the end of a rod extending through to the front of the ball, which rod is driven back by concussion against the substance which the ballstrikes when projected. The cavity in the said plug answers two purposesit keeps the cap in place and prevents it being shaken offin transportation. and it receives andguides the rod as driven back, and pre vents the end glancing off, thereby insuring the explosion. I also make the end of said plug of steel, wlriclnbeingharder than the alloy of which the plug is necessarily formed, insures the explosion of the cap, whichin some cases might notexplodeif struekagainst the comparatively soft metal ofthe plug.

In the drawings, a is the shell or projeotile,- of any desired size or shape, with a tapering forward end, I), which. may be formed with diagonal grooves, as at r, to aid in the rotation of the shell. cisthe serrated cutting-edge around the cavity (2 at the front of the ball; andq is the screw-rod carrying the percussion-cap s, which may be held upon the rod, if desired. by a spring-tube. The parts thus far are similar in construction to those shown base of the ball perfectly tight, and the i'orward end of this plug is made with a cavity or recess,into which the end of the rod q'and percussion-cap spass. The length of this rod q is to be accurately determined, so that it will not reach the bottom of thecavity when the plug f is screwed firmly into place, but that there will be ample room for the fulminating material in the cap. Thereby the plug can be screwed to place without risk of explosion.

To charge this ball it. is only necessary to I withdraw the plug f, place a cap on the end of the rod q, then pour in .the powder, and screw the plug into its place.

There is no risk of explosion intranspo'rtation or handlingthe shell, and the cap can not shake off the rod; and when fired the bomb cannot explodeuntil it strikes some object, so asto either shorten the length of the shell or drive in the rod q, or both, in which case the compression of the cap between the end of the rod q and the plug f produces a detonation, exploding the bomb.

I make the end of the plug f with a piece of steel, introduced as represented, to take the cap' when the projectile strikes any object. The steel facing renders the detonation of. the cap more'certain, because it is harder than the metal of the plug, as brass or other comparatively soft metal is the only thing that can safely be employed for such plugs.

'Alead ring around the rear end of the ball at h serves to make the projectile tight inthe gun when fired.

In Fig. 3 Iliave represented a slight modification in the shape of the end of the plug f. In this I have made the cavity with a flaring mouth, and the plug of steel at the bottom thereof .only, the object of this being to guide the end of the'rod with the cap more certainly into the cavity if the rod should be slightly bent or pressed aside; and it will be evident that the steel surface taking the dctonatingcap may be cup-shaped, as in Fig. 'l,'or flat,-

as in Fig. 3.

What I claim, and desire to seenre'by Let- In witness whereof I have hereunto set-my ters Patent, is-- signature this 5th day of November, 1863.

1. The screw-plug f, formed with the cavity j at the front and receiving the detonabing-cap JOB JOHNSON on the end of the rod q, for the purposes and as specified.

2. A plug 01- plate of stee1,f0rming afacing' or surface to the softer met-a1 of the plugf, for the purposes and as specified.

Witnesses:

LEMUEL W. SERRELL, CHAS. H. SMITH. 

